Any cars out there? Dubai.If you've been in Dubai today, you might have noticed fewer cars on the road.

That's because it was the city's annual "car-free" day in which it encourages everyone to leave their vehicles at home and use public transportation, reported United Arab Emirates newspaper The National. It quoted Hussain Lootah, director general of the municipality:

“It’s not just about the carbon footprint of one day,” he said. “It’s a day to educate people about the effects of carbon emissions on many factors, including the environment and our health, and getting them to change their lifestyles."

It's a bold move coming from a city inside an eponymous emirate that is part of the UAE, which derives a third of its gross domestic product from oil (although Dubai itself is not oil rich, other constituent emirates are, and Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the UAE's prime minister).